How to make a milkshake (2023)

By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen

Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor to the Food Network.

There are few icy treats we love more than a fresh, creamy shake, especially when it's made by the pros at our favorite local grocery store. But learning how to make smoothies at home means you can satisfy that craving whenever it hits you. Plus, you can customize them with an endless variety of toppings and toppings, and get creative as you come up with your own flavor combinations. Once you find the right ratio of ice cream to milk, making shakes is easy. And you can make smoothies at home even if you don't have a blender or ice cream. Read on for our top tips for making thick and creamy shakes, as well as our favorite mix-ins and topping ideas.

Tools for making a smoothie

You only need a few essential tools to make a smoothie:

• Mixer

• ice cream scoop

• liquid measuring cup (for milk)

• Dry measuring cups (for ice cream and toppings)

• Measuring spoon (for add-ons)

• Cups, straws and/or spoons (for serving)

How to make a smoothie without a blender

No blender? No problem! You can also make a smoothie by using an immersion blender (also called a hand blender or hand blender) to combine the ingredients in a large bowl or wide-mouth liquid measuring cup. Or you can mix the ingredients by hand in a bowl with a spoon or whisk. Finally, you can put the ingredients in a mason jar, mash them up with a spoon, and shake vigorously to combine them. Be sure to start with soft serve in all cases.

smoothie ingredients

To prepare a smoothie you will need:

• Ice Cream – choose the best quality possible, ideally full fat because it makes for a thicker, creamier shake (you can also use low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt, but they tend to produce a thinner texture)

• Milk - You can use whole milk, 2%, 1%, or skim milk, but using whole milk gives the thickest, most consistent texture. If you're making a chocolate milkshake, feel free to use chocolate milk. And if you'd rather go dairy-free (and presumably use dairy-free ice cream), you can certainly use your favorite dairy alternative.

• Add-ins: syrups, fruit, nut butters, cookies, etc. (see plugins below for inspiration)

• Toppings: Sides like whipped cream, sprinkles, cherries, or syrup drizzle (see the Toppings section below for more inspiration)

Mixing ideas

It's fun here and you can really make your shake your own. Scour your pantry for syrups, spreads, spices and extracts, or go fruity by adding fresh or frozen fruit. For more contrast in textures, experiment with adding baked bits or crunchy mixes towards the end of the mix. Here are some of our favorite plugins:

• Syrups: chocolate, maple, caramel, strawberry, pineapple, date, pomegranate
• Fruit: strawberries, bananas, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mango
• Spreads: Nut Butter, Tahini, Marshmallow Fluff, Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
• Preserves: strawberry jam, blueberry jam, jam
• Backwaren: Brownie Chunks, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cheesecake Bites
• Crunchy Stuff: Mini Chocolate Chips, Whole Wheat Cookies, Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, Candy Bar Chunks, Waffle Cone Chunks, Halva, Chopped Chocolate
• Nuts: crushed peanuts, sliced ​​almonds, pecan pieces, crushed walnuts
• Extracts: Vanilla, Almond, Coconut, Taro, Lemon
• Spices and Herbs: Ground Cinnamon, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Fresh Mint, Lavender
• Coffee, tea and cocoa: shot of coffee, tea or prepared espresso; finely ground espresso powder; hot chocolate mix
• Liqueur – For an adults-only alcoholic treat, add a splash of your favorite liquor like bourbon, vodka, or rum

ideas for decorating

Complete your shake with toppings such as whipped cream, maraschino or brandy cherries, sprinkles, cookie sticks, sugar straws, chocolate dipped pretzel sticks, syrup drizzle, sprinkling of spices, grated chocolate, crushed biscuits, sweet bits, chocolate. covered strawberries or citrus peel.

how to make a smoothie

Master a few tricks below to ensure you make a perfectly thick and creamy shake every time.

1. Soften the ice and chill the glass. Take the ice cream out of the freezer 10 to 15 minutes before using. At the same time, put your glass in the freezer. This keeps the smoothie cold when served.
2. Measure the ingredients. 1 cup ice cream to 1/4 cup milk is a great ratio.
3. Blend the smoothie. Combine milk and ice cream in a blender and blend until smooth. Add any of your add-ins and mix to desired consistency.
4. Participate. Pour the smoothie into the chilled glass and serve immediately.

How to make a thick shake

One of the trickiest parts of making a milkshake is getting the ice cream to milk ratio right. To make sure you don't add too much milk, it's important to temper the ice cream first: let it sit on the counter to soften (but not runny).

Use whole milk to ensure a thick consistency, or for an even thicker consistency you can substitute heavy whipping cream (although this will add to the richness factor). Finally, don't add ice! It will reduce consistency.

You can also make a thicker shake by adding malted milk powder, which contains malted barley, wheat flour, and evaporated whole milk powder (technically, this makes it a malted shake, or malt for short). The savory undertone of the malted milk powder not only enhances the shake, but also enhances some shake flavors, notably chocolate and vanilla.

Finally, adding solid toppings such as brownies/cookies/cakes or frozen fruit will also thicken a shake.

How to make a smoothie without ice

If you fancy a shake but don't have a supply of ice cream in your freezer (or don't usually eat ice cream), you can still make a shake.

For an easy vanilla shake, simply blend ice cubes, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy and smooth. Start with the highest-fat milk possible for the creamiest result. You can experiment with different flavors and textures by adding cocoa powder, fruit (swap frozen fruit in place of ice cubes), nut butter, or Greek yogurt. You can also vary the sweetening component by incorporating (or substituting) honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup with the granulated sugar.

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